The University of Nevada, Reno Extension implemented the 4-H Afterschool, 21^st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Program at Valley High School in Las Vegas for its second year from August 29, 2022, to May 11, 2023. The Center for Program Evaluation (CPE) at the University of Nevada, Reno was the external evaluator for the program. Evaluation methods for 22-23 included teacher and student surveys, program attendance, school attendance, and grades.

Performance Indicators and Program Attendance

In the 2022-2023 school year, 514 students attended the program. The program was offered for 127 days between August 29, 2022, and May 11, 2023. The average weekly attendance was 74 students and average daily attendance was 31. Most participants (97%) attended the program less than 30 days, while 2% attended 30-59 days. The majority of students attended the program for less than 15 hours total. The majority of participants (60%) were Hispanic/Latino; 22% Black/African American; and 6% White. Of the 25 academic and enrichment activities offered, Media/Library Lounge had the highest number of students attend. Other classes with higher attendance included Hobby Hangout and Virtual Lab Tutoring.

Teacher Surveys

Classroom teachers of the 2l51 CCLC participants are asked to what extent the student has changed his/her behavior with respect to six different areas. The most frequently reported improvement related to academic performance, for which 9% of participants had significant improvement and 34% had slight or moderate improvement. Improvement also was noted for 42% of the students with respect to completing homework to the teacher's satisfaction, 37% for participation in class, and 42% for turning in homework on time.

Student Surveys

Students completed the 4-H Youth Thriving Survey at the end of all and spring terms. Student opinions about the classes were positive with most students agreeing with the positively worded statements. Most said they learned new things and explored interesting things in the class. Most student responses to the items about positive relationships were also positive, including feeling safe in class, feeling welcomed, feeling valued, cared for and treated fairly by adults in the program. The majority of students indicated they would come back for future sessions and most of the remaining students said they maybe would come back. Suggestions for future class topics included art, science, music, dancing, and social science classes. 

School Attendance and Grades

Participants' grades in English and Math were compared from 2nd Quarter to 4th Quarter for the students who had a B or lower in those subjects in 2nd Quarter. In English, 29% increased their grade in the 4th Quarter, and 17% increased in Math Performance Indicators. School attendance rates were slightly lower in 22-23 compared to the previous year for these participants. Thirty seven percent had school day attendance rate of 93% or higher in 22-23, compared to 53% in 21-22. Of the program participants who had a school day attendance rate of 90% or less in 21- 22, 54% increased their school day attendance in 22-23.

Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, and Areas for Improvement

Strengths

1. Offering the program to students to have a safe place to go after school.
2. Allowing flexibility for one to one help and choices to students to select opportunities for growth.
3. Providing teachers with freedom to design classes with student's interest and needs in mind.
4. Providing a budget for after school classes and instructional materials as most clubs do not have a budget. 
5. Offering hot meals after school and snacks for students. 
6. Large number of students reached by the program. 
7. Teachers noticed improvement in engagement in learning for 43% of program participants. 
8. Some participants with lower school attendance rates increased their school day attendance compared to the previous year.
9. Evidence of improvement in ELA (29%) and math (17%) grades for some students with grades lower than Bin the first semester.

Weaknesses

1. Lack of awareness from teachers and students about the continuous opportunities to enroll in the program.
2. Student registration process was not understood by teachers, students and parents and consequently data was not collected on all students using the 4-H registration form. 
3. Lack of targeted recruitment systems and direct paper referrals from counselors, administrators, social workers, and other school personnel thus enabling full circle follow up as evidence of the success of targeted recruitment efforts. 
4. Class cancellation due to low student attendance classes mid-session creating the need to update flyers and contracts with teachers. 
5. Low total hours of program attendance for most participants.

Areas for Improvement

Main challenges for the 4-H 21^st CCCLP at Valley High in its second year included recruitment and attendance. A variety of recruitment methods are recommended including informing school staff of the program and its benefits, creating a tracking system that counselors can use to refer students at risk, having the program coordinator attend school events to promote the program, and second language newcomer students. Recommendations to improve attendance include giving attendees recognition and incentives for participating, supporting the 4-H Club and students' suggestions for club activities, and continuing to foster an inclusive and positive program environment. Other recommendations include collaborating with existing groups within the school to facilitate parent engagement and providing professional development to teachers on the 4-H Thriving model.

Conclusion

In its second year, the 4-H 21^st CCLC program at Valley High was successful implementing a variety of academic and enrichment classes with 514 attendees. Teacher surveys indicated some positive outcomes related to improvement in students' academic performance, completion of homework, participation in class, and turning in homework on time. Students felt positively about participating in the program including the teachers, the class content, and the program environment. Most indicated that they would or maybe would continue in the program for another session. Students had many suggestions for topics they would like covered in future classes. A main challenge for the program was recruitment and attendance. Improving attendance in Year 3 will help expand the benefits of the program to more students and increase positive outcomes for the program participants at Valley High.